Murder-suicide seen in...

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.VA.

September 03, 2006

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.VA.Murder-suicide seen in university slayings Three people were killed in an apparent murder-suicide on the Shepherd University campus Saturday, officials said. A man shot two other men in a campus parking lot, then shot himself about 2 p.m., university spokeswoman Valerie Owens said. "We are stunned to hear about this terrible tragedy," President David Dunlop said in a statement. "There is no continuing threat to any other student." The West Virginia State Police are investigating. The names of the shooter and victims have not been released, Owens said. DENVERBoulder chief defends JonBenet case efforts The Boulder police chief has defended his department's investigation of the murder of JonBenet Ramsey in several published reports, saying more than 160 suspects were investigated and $2 million spent. Chief Mark Beckner's defense came in interviews with KCNC-TV, The Daily Camera of Boulder, the Rocky Mountain News Friday and in a statement posted on the Boulder police Web site. Three lawyers who worked with the police on the case also defended the department in the statement. "A few people have accused the department of focusing too narrowly in its investigation of this homicide when that was not the case," Beckner said in the statement. "People who have spoken out that way have relied on the department's inability to discuss case specifics, but I cannot allow the misperceptions to go unanswered any longer." The Ramsey family has criticized police, saying the department focused on them at the exclusion of evidence that an intruder killed the 6-year-old beauty queen in December 1996. He told the News that notion was "an urban myth." Beckner, a year after the killing, said the Ramseys remained "under an umbrella of suspicion" in their daughter's death. Beckner did not immediately return a call to his home seeking comment. Beckner told KCNC: "For a long time we have remained silent." His department said nothing about the recent arrest of John Mark Karr at the request of the district attorney's office. Karr was cleared by DNA and remains in custody in Boulder, awaiting extradition to California to face child pornography charges. STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLO.2 face 6 months in jail in theft from garbage Two men who took fruit and vegetables out of a garbage can have been sentenced to six months in jail. Giles Charle, 24, of Sumersworth, N.H., and David Siller, 27, of Wayne, Pa., said the punishment was harsh and the only choice they had to avoid a felony on their records. They were on their way to the Rainbow Family's annual gathering when they were arrested in June and charged with felony burglary and misdemeanor theft. Authorities said they took five cucumbers, four or five apricots, two bundles of asparagus spears and a handful of cherries from a garbage can at Sweet Pea Produce. The two pleaded guilty to misdemeanor trespassing Wednesday and the felony charge was dropped. "We didn't have any intention of committing a crime or doing anything wrong," Charle told the Steamboat Pilot & Today newspaper. "We had just come in town and we were prepared to buy groceries from a store but everything was closed." WASHINGTONPost office sputters on spelling motorcycle The post office is in a pickle over the spelling of motor-sickle. At least, that's how Arlo Guthrie might explain it. Problem is, the Postal Service recently, with great fanfare, issued a new set of stamps depicting motorcycles. Collectors who buy copies issued on the first day the stamps are available can get them with a special commemorative postmark. Unfortunately, the colorful postmark spells it "motorcyle." Having discovered this, the post office announced Friday that new orders for first-day envelopes will have a corrected postmark. Unless the buyer wants it spelled wrong. In that case they can still order the version with the incorrect postmark. Just include a note asking for the incorrect version. Any collectors who already have misspelled versions can trade them for the corrected version by sending them to Information Fulfillment, Dept. 6270, US Postal Service, P.O. Box 219424, Kansas City, MO 64121-9424.